I Need You
by gay.panic97
Summary: Prompt: Emma and Regina conceive a child through magic and either Emma or Regina has to deliver their baby because they are trapped somewhere and can't get to the hospital (Either Emma or Regina can be pregnant). Established Swan Queen. Magic baby. Angst. M for language.
1. Chapter 1

"Regina, where are you taking me?"

It had to have been the tenth time Emma Swan-Mills had asked her wife that question since they'd gotten into Regina's Benz two hours earlier. The car turned a particularly sharp curve around a rocky mountainside, plunging deeper and deeper into forest. Further and further from civilization. Emma tried to think when they last saw any signs of life. It had to have been a good forty-five miles back. Forty-five miles to the nearest town. To the nearest gas station or police station. The blonde had never been a paranoid or even cautious person before, but her time serving as Storybrooke's sheriff had certainly opened her eyes wide to the possibilities. Mixed with the hormonal roller-coaster she was currently strapped into, Emma found her usually carefree personality plagued with worry. Worst-case scenarios streaked through her mind at the speed of light, and her grip on her wife's hand tightened involuntarily.

"Emma, my circulation," Regina reminded her, and Emma loosened her grip with a long sigh. "Relax, dear. I promise that the surprise I have planned for you isn't a bad one. Not even slightly. You're going to love it."

"I'm sure I am," the blonde said, head turned as she scanned the pine forests out of the car window. "Whatever you've got planned is bound to be lovely, but you know how surprises make me anxious."

"They never used to," Regina noted in a soft voice. Everyone had noticed the subtle changes in the Sheriff over the past seven months but none more than Regina herself. She observed how the blonde's brow pinched with concern more often and how she'd made a habit of picking at her nail beds uncertainly. She barely resembled the ever-confident woman Regina had married two years prior.

Emma looked back at Regina and smiled slightly. "I know. I always get weird when I'm pregnant." The hand that wasn't tangled in her wife's fell on her own bloated stomach, fingers dancing up and down over the bump there. Not really a bump. More like a hill or a mountain. At thirty-four weeks, Emma felt like someone had strapped a beach ball to her abdomen. "Super sentimental and emotional. It wasn't quite as intense with Henry, though. Mostly, I was just sad all the time with him." The corners of her lips pulled down slightly at the memory. Prison was a lonely place, but the idea of a baby had brought her hope while she was inside. That hope, however, was always overshadowed by the heart-crushing knowledge that she wouldn't be able to keep the child. She smiled slightly to herself. Who would've ever thought that Henry would've come back and found her, and then four years later she'd be married to his adoptive mother and pregnant with their magical baby. Literally, no one, but, God, was she thankful he had. "I think it's different now because I've got so much to be happy about." She practically glowed when she smiled over at Regina. "Everything I ever wanted, really. I finally found my parents. I have Henry, and you." Her eyes fell back on her stomach. "And in another six weeks, I'll have this little bun." She tapped lightly on her stomach. "Hey, you hear me in there? You've got a lot of people excited to meet you." There was an enthusiastic kick against Emma's stomach in response that made both women smile. "I think I just woke it up."

"It," Regina scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "I can't believe we have to call our child an _'it.'_ We should've had Dr. Whale tell us the sex."

"No way," Emma shook her head. "It'll be a surprise."

The brunette cocked an eyebrow at her. "I thought you didn't like surprises."

Emma blushed slightly. "Well, that's one surprise I can handle." Regina turned the vehicle down a gravel road cutting through the forest. "Okay, babe, you've got to tell me where we're going. This is getting way too axe-murderer-movie for me."

"You don't trust me?" Regina questioned, and she couldn't fully hide the hurt in her voice. After everything they had been through, she knew that Emma knew her better than anyone. She believed she'd redeemed herself Emma's eyes if in no one else's. The idea that her wife still saw her as little more than the Evil Queen from their son's story book cut deeply.

"Of course, I do," Emma assured her, lifting Regina's hand to her lips and pressing a firm kiss there. "Gina, you've saved my ass a hundred times before. I trust you with my life. I love you." Even after two years of marriage, the words still sent a swell of warmth through Regina's body, and she smiled at them. "It's just that we're super far out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, and that makes me a little nervous." She glanced down at the cell phone in her lap. "I don't even get any cell reception out here."

"That's kind of the point, dear," Regina chuckled, and Emma frowned at her in confusion. "It's a weekend getaway, Emma. That means no cell phones. No stressing. No worrying. Just relaxation."

"But what if we need to get a hold of someone in case of an emergency?" The blonde demanded. "What if someone back home needs to talk to us? What if more big baddies come rolling into town? What if my parents need me? What if _Henry_ needs us?"

Regina smiled over at her wife's wide green eyes, shifting the Mercedes into park. "Emma, sweetie, will you please just look forward?"

Emma was so caught up in her own fears that she hadn't even realized the car had come to a stop on the gravel. As she turned her head forward, her mouth fell open in awe. They sat parked in front of a two-story log cabin nestled in among the woods. No. Not just a cabin, Emma corrected herself. A fucking architectural masterpiece. It was built modern out of red cedar with metal beams and stacked-stone trim. The cabin was lined with large, rectangular windows all-around. Despite its contemporary design, the house fit in perfectly with its rugged location, melting in with the forest itself beautifully.

"There's a landline and internet service," Regina informed. "Everyone who might need it has the number in the case of an emergency. If you need to talk to your parents so badly, dear, you'll be able to do it for as long as you like. Though I'd prefer it if you kept those conversations as brief as possible. I'd like to have you mostly if not all to myself for the next three days."

"Holy shit," Emma muttered, and Regina laughed. "Regina, what is this?"

"It's my gift to you," she answered. Emma finally pried her eyes away from the cabin to give her wife a puzzled look. "Well, I suppose it's more a gift to the whole family. We'll all use it."

"You _bought_ this place?" The words choked their way out of the back of Emma's throat.

"I did," the brunette nodded. "I thought, with our family expanding, we could use a place to get away together every so often. It's close enough that we could make a weekend trip if we wanted." Her chocolate brown eyes skittered down to her hands as she continued on. "You've seemed very stressed out recently. Not like yourself. I know you're worried, and I know it's to be expected, but I still don't like it. It's not good for you or the baby. I hoped that a vacation, if it is only for a few days, might be good for you." She chanced a look up to find her wife still stunned. "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it?" Emma repeated incredulously. "Baby, I love it." Regina's expression brightened as she smiled widely. "You bought me a fucking cabin. Nobody's ever done anything like that for me before." Leaning over the console, she kissed the brunette's lips tenderly. "I love you, Gina."

"I love you, too, Em," Regina grinned. "Now, come on. Let me show you the inside." Before Emma could even fully open her door, Regina was outside and opening it for her, helping her out of the vehicle carefully. Though the blonde always maintained that she was still just as capable as before she got pregnant, Regina couldn't stop herself from doting and waiting on Emma hand-and-foot. She couldn't help it—taking care of those she loved was something she'd always done. She'd done it for Henry his whole life, and she'd done it for Emma since they'd first begun dating. And she'd do it for the new baby when it came.

Regina gave Emma the grand tour of their new vacation home, leading her through all three of the bedrooms and the two baths as well as the attached, entirely glass building that contained a pool and hot-tub. Emma gawked at it all with wide eyes. She began to wonder how exactly they'd afforded to purchase such a nice property, but she dismissed the thought almost immediately. The curse had given Regina a very comfortable bank account, and their combined income as the town's mayor and sheriff were nothing to sneeze at. No doubt Regina had been squirrelling money back for a while for such a purchase.

The two women brought their bags for their weekend getaway inside the cabin and unpacked. Once they were finished, Regina moved to the kitchen to find something to cook for dinner that night.

"What do you say to lasagna?" She called out to her wife with a smirk as she reached for the noodles and sauce. It wasn't even a question in actuality. Emma never said no to her lasagna. However, there was no answer, and Regina frowned, turning. "Emma?" No answer. Regina moved through the house in search of her wife before finally finding her in the den, settled on the sofa, tucked under a plush blanket. With her legs folded under her, Emma stared dreamily out the sliding glass doors at the forest. What leaves November had left on the trees were burnt shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the chilly wind was trying its hardest to strip them away.

"What are you doing?" The brunette questioned, smiling slightly.

Emma looked at her with eager eyes. "Have you seen what color the sky is?"

Regina glanced out the window before shrugging. "White. So, what?"

"White," the blonde nodded with a grin. "White like snow. I think it's going to snow, Gina. The weatherman said there was a fifty percent chance."

Regina smiled. If there was one thing her wife had always loved, it was snow. "It certainly looks like it could. Maybe you should do your snow dance to be sure."

Emma pointed her finger at the brunette. "Joke all you want, but that shit worked, and it got us out of work and Henry out of school the next day." Regina laughed, and Emma smiled at the sound. She loved Regina's laugh. Pulling one side of the blanket free, she held it out as an offering. "Come here."

Regina paused a moment before walking over and joining her wife. The two wrapped up together in the thick blanket.

"This is wonderful," the blonde finally whispered. "I love it. Everything." She kissed her wife's collarbone intimately. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Regina said back, wrapping her arms around Emma and pulling her close. Her hand found her wife's swollen stomach and rested their contentedly. "I love you." Emma gasped, body tightening, and Regina looked at her with wide-eyed concern. "What's wrong? Are you hurting? Is it the baby?"

"No." Emma exhaled a long breath before smiling lopsidedly to her wife. "It's not pain. He just really loves it whenever you put your hand there. He was, like, cutting flips. Doesn't hurt. It's just… weird, but a good weird." She looked back out the glass doors, and her face lit with excited. "Snowflakes!"


	2. Chapter 2

Something woke Emma up. Maybe it was a cold draft. Maybe it was her internal clock. Maybe it was just her subconscious. She wasn't sure, but something woke her up at exactly two-thirty in the morning. She shot up from the soft yet unfamiliar bed, silk sheets slipped down over her stomach, and her eyes swiveled across the dark room. For a moment, she panicked. This was not her bedroom back home. This was not her bed. This was not…

An arm wound around her, pulling her back slightly, and Emma looked down. A wave of relief passed through her at the sight of her sleeping wife snuggled up against her. Smiling, she gently brushed a stray lock of hair back from Regina's face. A soft hum came from the brunette, and her lips curled upward in a contented smile.

"Go back to sleep, Emma," she whispered without opening her eyes. "It's cold without you."

"Sorry," the blonde mumbled back, settling back down in the bed next to Regina. "Better?"

Regina nodded, her head coming to lay in the crook of Emma's arm. "Better."

Emma closed her eyes and began to drift back to sleep.

Except she didn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She wasn't the least bit tired, though she estimated she'd only gotten about three or four hours of sleep. She tried everything she could think of. Counting sheep. Singing a lullaby in her head. She even listened carefully to the sound of her wife's even breathing beside her, which usually always did the trick when she couldn't sleep. Nothing worked, though. With an irritated sigh, she snapped her eyes open again and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe it was being in the cabin. She'd always had trouble falling asleep in a new home the first night. Ever since she was a child. It was strange—growing up in the foster system, going from home-to-home, should've made it easier to sleep in unfamiliar places.

Finally, Emma could stand the laying and waiting no longer. She pried herself out of bed, careful not to wake Regina, and stretched out. A slight pain in her stomach made her wince, but it was little more than a cramp. She padded barefoot out of the bedroom and down the stairs, cracking her sore neck as she went. She went straight for the kitchen, a sweet craving building inside of her. Retrieving the hot cocoa mix from the cabinet, she heated some milk in the microwave. Mixing the hot milk and the chocolate together, she grabbed a can of whipped cream from the fridge. After spraying a generous amount straight into her mouth, she gave the hot cocoa a topping of it before placing the can back. The final touch came from the pantry. Grabbing the small container of ground cinnamon, she sprinkled the top of the cocoa with an even coat of it, grinning widely to herself in anticipation. Once it was all finished, she grasped the large mug and moved into the den, smelling the drink eagerly. She took a sip, swallowing it quickly as it left a scalded patch on her tongue, and looked up. Her smile disappeared when her eyes gazed out the sliding glass doors, and her mouth fell open in awe.

"Emma?" Regina walked into the den, yawning and combing her fingers through her hair. She'd searched the entire upstairs for her wife after waking to find her gone before hearing her downstairs in the kitchen. Of course, she thought. Emma had always had an insatiable appetite, but her diet had only gotten worse since the pregnancy. All hours of the night and day. Strange, sometimes disgusting combinations—the worst yet had been pickles and ice cream. And a nasty disposition if her cravings weren't satisfied.

When Regina saw her blonde wife standing in the den, she laughed to herself. Emma stood in the middle of the room in her fuzzy pajamas, hot chocolate in hand, eyes wide and jaw hanging down with a whipped cream mustache over her lip. It wasn't until Regina moved fully into the den and caught a look outside that she saw what had rendered her wife so speechless.

Snow. Snow everywhere. It fell from the night sky rapidly in enormous flakes. Mountains of it piled on the ground. It had begun falling that evening, but there had been little more than a dusting when the two women had gone to bed. Regina estimated there must have been a good foot of it on the ground, more than that in places where drifts had gathered. The wind blew hard, slanting the snowfall until it resembled a static television set.

Emma turned and looked back at her wife with a goofy grin. "I swear to God, babe, I didn't do the snow dance this time."

Regina couldn't stop a laugh as she walked over to the blonde. Pulling her into her arms tightly, she kissed her lips, licking the whipped cream off.

"What are you doing up?" She asked when they finally broke apart.

Emma shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." Her eyes slid back to the snow. "Probably my subconscious telling me to wake up and look outside. It's beautiful."

Regina smiled, her eyes never leaving her wife's face. "Yes. Beautiful."

Emma looked back at her and snorted. "Corny as fuck, Gina."

"Perhaps," the brunette admitted, "but still true."

"Wanna watch it snow with me?" Emma questioned brightly. "I could make you some hot chocolate too, if you like."

"I think I'll need something stronger," Regina said and moved to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. "How long is it supposed to snow like this anyway?"

Emma didn't answer initially. Her hand had fallen to her stomach, and she was frowning. A strange feeling rose up in her. Something she couldn't place. It just felt like something was wrong. Not like anything she'd felt before. Maybe the kid was waking up, too. Maybe…

A sharp pain jolted from her pelvis up her spinal cord. It was the type of pain that took her breath away and made her knees tremble. Emma grabbed hold of the sofa to keep her legs from buckling beneath her as she gasped. Her jaw clenched and teeth ground to keep a shriek inside. It lasted only a moment before passing, and she released the breath with a long exhale. Her eyes opened, and she stood up straight. That was weird. She had felt that baby do a lot of crazy shit inside of her. Roll around. Kick and punch. Latch onto her ribcage. Even use her bladder as fucking trampoline. Nothing, though, had felt like that. Nothing even compared remotely. She'd only felt it once before, and that was fourteen years prior when she'd went into labor with Henry. That didn't make sense, though. She was only thirty-four weeks. The baby wasn't due for another six weeks. Her mind flashed back to something Whale had warned her about. What did he call them? Braxton Hicks. False labor pains. That was it. It had to be.

"Emma?" Regina called out again from the kitchen. "Did you hear me?"

"Y-Yeah," Emma answered and cleared her throat to rid her voice of its shakiness. "I think it's supposed to snow all day. It's some big storm system that popped up out of nowhere. Biggest blizzard Maine's seen in five years, according to the weatherman."

"Maybe our little vacation will get extended then?" Regina said back, and Emma could hear the smile in her voice.

"Maybe," the blonde said back with a frown. Though she had tried to convince herself that the pains were nothing to worry over, she didn't really like the idea of being stranded in the cabin for long. If it turned out that they were actually something…

" _Ah_!" Another pain ripped through Emma, this one more intense than the previous one. It took her completely off guard, and she felt herself fall off-balance, heading straight for the hardwood floors. Just as she was about to hit the floor, however, a pair of strong arms grasped hold of her and held her up. Emma's eyes were squeezed close, and she struggled to breath through the pain. This one lasted far longer than the first, and she bared her teeth furiously. When it finally passed, her jaw was sore from the tension she'd held there.

That's when it hit her. She hadn't just woken up by accident. She'd been having those pains, though they were small and rather insignificant before, while she was asleep. For hours. That was what had woken her. Those weren't just pains. They were contractions.

"Emma," Regina gasped, and Emma finally opened her eyes. The brunette held her in her arms, brown eyes wide with fear and concern. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"I-I… I think I might be going into labor," the blonde answered weakly.

Regina's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "What? You can't go into labor here! It's a blizzard outside—my Benz is not going to make it in that weather! Are you sure?"

Emma tensed and bit back a scream when another pain hit. They were so close together. Too close. When it passed, she looked up at her wife with annoyance. "I'm pretty fucking sure, Regina."

"What are we going to do?" Regina demanded. "I can't just transport us to a hospital—my magic doesn't work outside of Storybrooke. The baby isn't due until January!"

"It's not following our timeline apparently," the blonde said back, sitting up. "Regina, you need to call an ambulance. Now."

"Of course." The brunette was on her feet in a moment, racing for the phone on the wall. She dialed 9-1-1 and informed the dispatcher of what was happening and where they were. Unfortunately, the woman said that, under regular circumstances, it would take an ambulance forty-five minutes to an hour to get to them. With the blizzard, that timeline could be double or more.

"They're on their way," Regina informed her wife, who was struggling to get to her feet. She helped her up, holding to her tightly in case another contraction hit. "God only knows how long it's going to take them to get to us. Could be hours."

"I'm not sure we've got that long," Emma answered with a cringe.

"Why not?" Regina asked.

The blonde looked down at her soaked pants. "Because my water just broke."


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my God." Regina stared down at the puddle of water on the floor with wide, shocked eyes. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. There was no way that this could be real. She had to have been dreaming. No way could her wife be going into labor while they were stranded by a blizzard in a cabin miles and miles away from a hospital. It couldn't be happening.

"Gina." Emma's voice was even and surprisingly calm. "Babe, I need you to help me lay down on the nearest bed."

The brunette offered no response. Her eyes were glued to the puddle. How could she be so _stupid_? Emma was thirty-four weeks pregnant, for God's sake! How could she have thought it was a good idea to bring her all the way up there in the middle of fucking nowhere for a weekend retreat? What was she thinking?

Easy. She was thinking that she wanted her wife back. She had wanted the Emma that she knew and loved back if only for a few days. She'd wanted to get rid of her stress and ease her mind. She was thinking of herself. Of how much she missed her wife the way she'd been before their magical conception. She was, as usual, being selfish.

"Regina." Emma's tone was sharper and more demanding, and Regina finally looked into her eyes. Those green orbs were darker than usual, much more serious. "Take me to the bedroom."

"O-Okay," Regina choked out at last. She took the blonde's hands carefully and led her to the downstairs guest bedroom.

"Help me get undressed," Emma ordered as she began to pull her shirt off. Regina complied, shimmying her wife's pajama pants and underwear down to her ankles. Emma stepped out of them both, and Regina helped her settle down on the bed. Emma spread her legs out, laying her back out straight on the mattress, and bent her knees. She assumed the position naturally. As if it was something she'd done a hundred times before rather than just once fourteen years ago.

"This can't be real," Regina breathed, her shock beginning to pass and panic setting into her mind. "It can't be happening."

"It is," Emma said in a voice that was both stern and gentle. "It's going to take the ambulance at least an hour, maybe two, to get here. We don't have that kind of time. This baby is coming now. Right here. In this house."

"How do you know?" Even Regina knew it was a stupid question. If anyone knew what was going to happen now, it was Emma. She was the one feeling it, after all.

"I just do," the blonde answered. "I need your help."

"Hot water!" Regina shot up. "I need to go get some hot water!"

"Why would we need that?" Emma questioned exasperatedly.

"I don't know!" The brunette exclaimed, tugging at her hair frantically. "It's what they always say in the movies! I have no idea what to do right now, Emma. I-I've never been in this situation before."

"Well, I have," Emma answered and took her wife's hand gingerly. "The circumstances were different, yes, but I know how this works. Women give birth everyday in worse situations than this. It's going to be alright, Regina, but I'm going to need you to help me through this."

"I don't know if I can, Emma."

The blonde's body stiffened as another contraction ripped through her body, and she squeezed Regina's hand tightly. She kept her jaw squared and lips tight, but she couldn't quite stifle down a small cry. Regina's eyes widened, and she was by Emma's side in a moment, her free hand pushing the blonde's hair back out of her face tenderly. She may not have known much about birth, but she knew how to comfort her wife. How to love her.

The pain passed, and Emma relaxed, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

"Are you alright?" Regina asked.

"They're closer together," Emma huffed, head resting against the pillow. "We don't have a lot of time."

"I'm here," Regina said, stroking her wife's cheek lovingly. "Right here with you, Emma."

The blonde managed a weak smile at her. "I know. And as much as I love having you by my side, you're going to have to move." Regina frowned. "Somebody's got to receive the baby when it comes, Gina, and you're the only one available at the moment."

"Oh, of course." Regina moved down to the end of the bed where she knelt between her wife's legs. When another contraction hit, she gripped Emma's thighs to keep her grounded through the pain. "Remember to breathe through the contractions, sweetie. Just like in the classes." If Emma had been capable of it at the moment, she would've rolled her eyes. Regina had insisted they attended Lamaze classes religiously, despite Emma telling her over and over again that she'd been through birth once before already and really didn't need to listen to some weird lady on a yoga mat tell her how it's done.

Time passed at a glacial pace, and neither of them moved. They developed something of a rhythm. When the contractions hit, Emma would push while Regina tried to support her through it. Between the pains, Regina would talk to Emma about any and everything she could possibly think of. Something to keep the exhausted blonde attentive and awake. Henry became their go-to topic. Regina told her wife stories of when he was a child before the blonde came into their lives. About his first steps and words. His first Trick-or-Treat outing where he had insisted upon dressing as Prince Charming, much to his mother's chagrin. She told about all the Christmases where he'd tried his hardest to stay up all night in efforts to see Santa Claus, only to fall asleep on the couch before midnight. She told happy stories, funny stories, sweet stories, even some sad ones. They seemed to help in keeping Emma's eyes open between the contractions, even allowing her a choked laugh or two.

An hour had passed, and still there was no sign of the ambulance. Almost no time passed between the contractions, and the pain Emma felt was worse than she'd thought it could be. She remembered it had been bad with Henry, but at least then she'd had the comfort of a morphine drip. Now, she had nothing. There was no dulling her senses or numbing her body. She felt everything, and it fucking _hurt_.

She screamed out at a particularly terrible pain, her streaming tears mingling with the sweat covering her face. Her head fell back on the pillow beneath her as her chest rolled with each forced breath.

"It's got to be almost there," she breathed, shaking her head. "Got to be almost done now."

"You're so close, honey," Regina cheered her on. While she was no doctor, she had watched her wife progress further and further into labor, and she knew that it couldn't be much longer. She hoped, for Emma's sake, that it wouldn't be. "Just a few more pushes, and you're there."

"God, I don't know if I can," Emma wept.

Regina reached up and took her wife's hand. "Look at me." Green eyes met brown, and Emma was surprised by the purpose in them. How had Regina gone from terrified to determined so fast? "You can do this, Emma. I know you can. You're Emma fucking Swan-Mills, and you can do this. I believe in you, and I love you." She smiled. "Now, let's have a baby."

As if on cue, the contraction hit, and it knocked Emma's breath from her chest. Her back bowed upwards, and she pushed with everything in her, screaming from the pain.

"Oh my God," Regina breathed, staring between her wife's legs with a stunned smile. "Emma, honey, I see the head. I can see it. You're so close—just one more push, and it'll be over."

"Okay," Emma nodded her head as she rested and waited for the next round of pain to hit. "I can do one more."

When the next contraction hit, Emma balled her fists up in the bed sheets and, raising off of her back slightly, she pushed harder than she ever had before. She shouted out in pain, but her scream was overpowered by a louder, higher one. She looked down to see Regina reaching down and pulling a red, wiggling mess of skin and limbs from inside her. The brunette held the wailing baby close to her chest, gazing down at it dearly.

"What… What is it?" Emma breathed out as her body finally collapsed fully onto the bed in exhaustion.

"It's a boy," Regina answered without looking up from the newborn in her arms. "It's a beautiful baby boy."

Emma smiled, eyelids fluttered. "A… A boy."

"Hello there," Regina said down to the child, wrapping him up carefully in a blanket to keep warm. His screams didn't stop, but they did lower in volume slightly. "Welcome to the world. I'm your mother. And here is your other mother." She moved to Emma's side and went to hand their child to her. When she caught sight of the blonde, though, her heart plummeted. Emma's naked body was collapsed limply on the bed, her long, golden curls spilling out over the pillowcase. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted slightly. And her chest was still. She wasn't breathing.

"Emma," Regina whispered, gripping her wife's shoulder and shaking her gently. "Emma, wake up." Hot moisture pricked her eyes as she shook the younger woman harder. "Emma, please, breathe!" The brunette was barely even conscious of the sound of approaching sirens and flashing lights outside. "Emma, you have to breathe—you can't leave me! I _need_ you! Emma!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Have the doctors said anything?"

"She lost a lot of blood, but she's stable. It's just a waiting game until she wakes up."

"But she will wake up, right?" There was a long pause. "She has to. I mean, she can't die. She _can't!_ Mom—do something! Use your magic to save her."

"Henry, I've tried, but there's not much I can do. We're just going to have to keep hope. One thing I knew about your mother is that she's a fighter. And I can promise that for you and your brother, she will fight harder than she ever has before. It's going to be alright."

"But, Mom—"

"Listen to your mom, kid." The voice was gruff and barely above a whisper, but it captured the entire room's attention. Emma pried her tired eyes open, wincing at the bright fluorescent lights above her. Whose idea was it to put fluorescent lights in a hospital room? The room was entirely white, of course. Somebody must've thought it appeared sterile, but to Emma, the combination did little more than give her one hell of a migraine. As if she didn't feel shitty enough as it was.

"Ma!" Her son's voice cracked, not just because of his hormones this time, as he raced to Emma's bedside. Throwing his arms around her, he buried his face in her shoulder, and she could feel him shaking slightly.

"Be careful, Henry," Emma's mother said from behind him, though she was smiling. "Your mother's still recuperating, and I'm sure she's sore." Snow stepped to Emma's side, David with her as they beamed down at their daughter. "It's good to see you awake, Emma."

"You gave us quite the scare, young lady," David jokingly teased as Snow combed her daughter's long hair back out of her face gently.

"Good to be awake," the blonde answered and looked down at Henry as he laid against her. His eyes were puffy, and his cheeks red. "Hey, what's with the waterworks?"

"I was so scared you weren't going to wake up," he sniffled. "I tried to talk to you and wake you, but it didn't work. You just laid there, and I… I can't lose you, Ma. I haven't even had you in my life that long."

"Hey, it's alright," she smiled at him. "Henry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, okay? I'm here. I'm alive and breathing. You don't need to worry about losing me." She kissed his forehead lovingly.

"E-Emma." The single word was breathed out in almost disbelief, and Emma looked up at the foot the hospital bed. Her wife stood there, glistening eyes wide as plates as she stared at the blonde with something mixed between shock and relief. Emma offered her a smile, then her eyes dropped to the bundle of blankets in Regina's arms. Her face fell, and her eyes widened as something jerked in her chest.

"That's… That's…"

"My baby brother," Henry beamed, standing with his grandparents. David placed a hand on his shoulder with a wide grin.

"Emma." Regina said it again, and half-ran to her wife's bedside. Reaching down, she cupped Emma's face with her free hand before kissing her tenderly as the tears fell freely from her eyes. "I was so afraid I might not see you again." She rested her forehead against the blonde's and took a deep breath, staring into those beautiful green eyes. Green eyes she had been terrified that she may never look into again.

"Hey, it's just like I told Henry," Emma whispered to her soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. See?" She placed her wife's hand flat on her chest to feel her heartbeat. "Still going strong."

"Promise me," Regina cried. She knew her request was foolish, but she needed to hear it anyway. "Promise me that you won't ever scare me like that, Emma Swan-Mills. Swear to me right now that you won't ever leave me." She kissed Emma's palm that touched her cheek. "I need you, and I can't lose you. Not now. Not ever."

Emma smiled at her. "I promise, Gina." God. Regina never thought she'd actually miss hearing the stupid pet name that only Emma was allowed to call her. "I need you, too, and I love you." Regina smiled back. "But do you think I can see our baby now?"

Regina's eyes widened as she realized her wife had yet to even see the baby she had birthed properly yet, and Emma chuckled at the almost comical expression.

"Of course," she said, leaning back enough to pass the swaddled baby to Emma. "Here you go, little one. Meet your mother."

Emma looked down into slate gray eyes and felt something that she hadn't experienced in fourteen years: pure, unbridled love. It hit her like a Mack truck, just as it had before, and overwhelmed her completely. Big, joyful tears filled her eyes, and she didn't even attempt to stop them from flowing over. Smiling so brightly her cheeks ached, she reached down and brushed back soft, tawny brown curls. She tried to speak, but her voice was caught somewhere in the back of her throat. Words were not needed, though, when two tiny hands gripped her finger as tightly as they could, holding closely to it. She laughed through her tears and held her baby even closer.

"You're so beautiful," she finally managed to say in a voice drowned in loving tears. "I love you. Don't ever forget that, okay?" Regina perched herself on the bed beside of Emma, smiling down at her wife and their child.

"We need to decide on a name," she said softly, and Emma looked up at her.

"You waited for me?" She asked.

"Of course," the brunette scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous question in the world. "I wasn't about to name our son without your approval. I know we already pretty much decided on a name, but it didn't feel right to make it official without you."

"What name did you decide on?" Snow inquired.

Emma smiled down at the baby in her arms as he yawned. "Milo Christopher Swan-Mills."

Emma sat at the bar at the Rabbit Hole, leg bouncing incessantly, and eyes glued on the clock. A tall glass of beer sat untouched before her on the bar as it had for the past twenty minutes. She was wondering how long was long enough. She'd been at that stupid bar for not quite an hour, but it'd felt much more like an eternity. If she slipped out and ran back home, would Regina let her in, or would she shut her out? She honestly wasn't sure, but she felt like she might just be okay with taking her chances.

"Emma, for God's sake." Ruby appeared beside the Sheriff, apparently returned from the bathroom. Emma wasn't sure for how long she'd been there—she had been far too lost in thought to pay any attention to her surroundings. Lost in her longing to get the fuck out of there and go home. "When someone is nice enough to buy you a drink, it's common courtesy to drink it."

"I told you I didn't want anything," the blonde returned with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not even thirsty. Besides, I'm breastfeeding."

"Oh, no," Ruby shook her head. "Don't try and give me that crap. Regina told me you've got enough milk stocked up to feed Milo for weeks. Your wife sent you with me expecting you to come home drunk, and I'll be damned if I'm going to disappoint that woman. She's fucking scary. So, Emma, drink."

Emma glared at her friend with furious eyes. "Fine! You want me to drink the goddamn beer? I'll drink it then!" Without a second's hesitation, she grabbed the pint of lager and downed the entire thing in a matter of seconds, gulping it down hastily. Slamming the glass back on the bar, she looked back at Ruby with glassy, slightly less focused eyes. "Can I go home now?"

"Emma," the brunette sighed exasperatedly. "You know we're doing this for your own good, right? You have to get out of the house. I know you love Milo and all, but it's not healthy to stay cooped up 24/7 with a baby." Emma squared her jaw angrily. She didn't understand why everyone thought she was so wrong for wanting to spend time with her son. What was so wrong with wanting to be a good mother? With wanting to get it right this time around? Regina and Ruby had been scheming behind her back for weeks to get her out that night. She was fairly certain Henry might have helped them, too. The little traitor. Even her parents were—her own mother who'd had severe separation anxiety when she had Neal—were against her. "You've got to get out. Breathe. Have fun."

"But this isn't fun for me anymore," Emma groaned, and Ruby frowned. "Not because of you. You're always fun, Rubes, and you know I love you. It's just… I want my baby." She hiccoughed, and the brunette smiled softly.

"I can't believe you're the clingy one," she laughed. "We all thought Regina would be the crazy mom—you know, considering how protective she always is of her family. You flipped the script on us, Em."

"I can't help it," the Sheriff said. "I've never had this before. I mean, I had Henry, but I never got to experience what it's like to have a baby. Regina did. This is all so new for me, and I love it." She smiled dreamily. "I love that baby. I love that he smells like vanilla and lavender. I love it when he smiles and giggles. I love holding him and feeding him. When he falls asleep in my arms. I even love his cry, even though it's fucking terrible." Ruby grinned. "And I love being home. With Milo and Henry and Gina. I just love my family, Ruby. I never thought I'd have something this beautiful, and I don't want to let it go."

"Nobody's asking you to," Ruby assured her with a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to let go of anything, Emma. We're just saying that some time away from Milo will do you good."

"I get that," she said, then looked around the bar with a wrinkled nose. "Could we get out of here, Ruby? This is not really my scene anymore, and I'm hungry." Her face brightened. "Could we go to Granny's? I'd kill for a grilled cheese right now."

Ruby smiled. "Fine. Yeah, let's go. This place sucks anyway. Regina just told me to get you out of the house—she didn't care where I took you." Emma staggered down from the stool, and Ruby caught her keenly when she nearly tripped. She'd only drank the one beer, but it had been a while since she'd drank anything alcoholic and drinking it so quickly—on an empty stomach at that—made it hit her like she'd had four or five. "Well, Regina should be happy with your state when I take you home. You're definitely feeling good."

Emma leaned towards her with a smile. "I might be a little buzzed." The statement was punctuated with a hiccough, and the two women left the bar peeling with laughter. They made their way down the street towards Granny's Diner, Ruby's arm looped securely in Emma's to keep the blonde from falling on her face.

At barely seven o'clock, it was still fairly early, and the dinner crowd had yet to clear out from the diner. The two women entered, Emma giggling into Ruby's shoulder as she leaned on her for support. Ruby walked her to a booth and went straight back to the kitchen to get them food, not bothering to wait for a server. Granny, spotting Emma as she swayed in the booth, recognized her condition immediately and walked to the table with a pot of hot coffee in hand. She placed the mug on the table in front of the Sheriff, and Emma looked up at her with curious, slightly-crossed eyes.

"This is a family-friendly institution, Sheriff," Granny told her sternly as she filled the mug. "I don't care who you are, Savior or not, you sober up, or I'll boot you outta here."

Emma gulped under the older woman's hard gaze, feeling very much like a teenager again. "Yes, ma'am."

Granny smirked. "Good to see you out having fun, Emma. Can I get you something else? The special tonight is meatloaf with mac 'n' cheese and baby corn." The blonde stared down at her coffee cup with an almost comically sad expression, her eyes glistening and her lower lip trembling. "What's the matter?"

Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke. "You said baby." She covered her face with her hands as the tears escaped. "I miss my baby!"

"Jesus Christ," Granny muttered, turning. "Ruby—tend to your friend before she scares off the paying customers!"

The brunette waitress returned with a plate of grilled cheese for Emma and delivered it to the table.

"What the hell did you say to her?" She asked her grandmother, hands on her hips. "She was fine when I left."

"She wants her baby," Granny rolled her eyes. "Just keep her quiet, and don't let her throw up on my floors—I just waxed them."

Emma looked up and began to nibble on her grilled cheese sandwich, sniffling. She took a gulp of her hot coffee and almost immediately began to sober up a bit. Between the strong dose of caffeine and the food, her vision focused in a bit more, and her feet seemed to touch the ground again.

"Feel alright?" Ruby asked, falling into the booth across from her friend.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Food helps." She swallowed a mouthful of heavily-buttered bread and melted cheese. "I still miss Milo, though. And Henry. And Regina."

"Tough it out a little bit longer, and I promise I'll take you home," Ruby answered, caving at last. Her fear of the mayor was trumped by her sympathy for her friend. She'd never seen Emma look so forlorn before. Like a kicked puppy.

"Thanks, Ruby," Emma said, taking another generous drink of coffee. "Sorry about all this. I wish I was more fun tonight."

"Hey, you were pretty fun right after you drank that beer," the brunette teased with a shrug. "Before you got all sad again. I never took you for a drunk crier."

"I'm not," Emma said defensively, and Ruby grinned. She knew that would bring back some of the Sheriff's bite. "It's just the pregnancy hormones—they're still all crazy. I'm super emotional right now."

There was the ding of the bell over the door, and Emma looked up with wide, hopeful eyes. Surely it was them. It was Friday night after all. When two people walked in, one pushing a stroller ahead of her, the blonde grinned from ear-to-ear. Her plan had worked perfectly.

Cognac brown eyes burned into her angrily. "Emma Swan-Mills, what the _hell_ are you doing here?"

Emma bolted to her feet excitedly, ignoring her wife's ire, and ran to her family at the front of the diner. She enveloped Henry in a hug, kissing his cheeks despite his groaned protests, then moved to the stroller. Lying inside it among a cocoon of blankets was her three-month old son, big eyes that had turned the exact same gorgeous brown as his mother's gazing around. His hair, its light brown color caught directly between Regina's black and Emma's blonde, was growing in thin, sleek waves. His eyes were just like Regina's, as was his mouth. But that nose with its dusting of freckles was all Emma. As soon as he saw his blonde mother, Milo grinned widely, showing off his pink gums, and let out a cackle of joy.

"Milo," Emma breathed, taking him into her arms and holding him close to her. She breathed him in, relishing in the delicious scent of her son, and kissed his forehead tenderly. "I missed you, baby boy." Then, she turned her eyes back to her wife, who looked as though she could chew nails at the moment and smiled crookedly. The nerve of her, Regina thought. "I missed you, too, Gina." She moved to peck the brunette on the lips, but Regina jerked away, arms crossed.

"Don't you 'Gina' me," the mayor snapped at her. "You're supposed to be out with Ruby having fun."

"We did go out," Emma told her. "I even got a little bit drunk. It wasn't fun, though. I was miserable the whole time without you guys. So, we came here."

"You played me!" Ruby exclaimed accusingly, jumping to her feet. "You said you were hungry—you knew they would be here, didn't you?"

Emma smiled innocently. "Maybe. The fact that we come and eat here every Friday night for dinner may have influenced my decision a little."

"You sneak," Ruby narrowed her eyes at her. "You tricked me."

"I really was hungry, though," the blonde said back to her before looking back to Milo with a smile. "See, Milo, that's what we call a con. Very important skill to learn." The baby giggled back, and Emma kissed his impossibly chubby cheeks.

"So, I guess the tears were fake, too?" Ruby growled.

"No, those were real," Emma shook her head. "I'm a terrible fake-crier."

"Tears?" Regina repeated with wide eyes, and Emma looked to her. "You were crying? You were _that_ miserable?"

"Well, part of it was that I was drunk, and my hormones are still janky," the blonde answered, "but, yeah, I was. I missed you all, and I just wanted to come home. I know you think it's for the best that I get out, but I don't like leaving you. Any of you. Every time I do, I feel… I don't know, like I'm going to lose you." The few embers of Regina's anger that were still burning at her wife were dowsed out completely by the words, and her expression softened. Damn Emma. She made it so impossible for Regina to stay mad at her.

"Emma, you're not going to lose any of us," she said, and Henry nodded in agreement. "We're your family, and we always will be." Stepping forward, she reached out and cradled the blonde's face tenderly. Emma leaned into the touch, savoring the feeling of Regina's skin on hers. "This is forever."

Emma smiled before pressing her lips to Regina's softly, one of her sons cooing in her arms while the other placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Forever, huh? I like the sound of that."


End file.
